Comets deal Sound Tigers second straight loss

The result wasn’t as good. The Comets’ Joseph LaBate scored with 40.1 seconds left in the second period, lifting Utica to a 2-1 win at the Aud.

“We played hard,” Bridgeport coach Brent Thompson said. “We competed. The execution was a lot better in the second and third.

“In the first, we were on our heels. We were a little slow.”

That let the Comets get out to a 1-0 lead on Carter Bancks’ goal off LaBate’s setup.

Ryan Pulock answered in the second period, extending his scoring streak to seven games. That’s tied for second-longest in team history by a defenseman, one behind Chris Armstrong (2001-02).

But that was the only Sound Tigers shot of 25 to beat Thatcher Demko. The rookie goalie started for the third consecutive day and won all three, including his first professional shutout on Saturday against Albany.

Thompson would’ve liked to see his team test him more Sunday. The coach juggled both lines and defense pairings in the second half of the game, looking for a spark.

“It’s just a matter of shooting more and getting to the hard areas more,” Thompson said. “The games are going to get tighter and tighter as we get toward the playoffs.”

Bridgeport has 19 games remaining, and after a comeback win Sunday over Springfield, Hershey matched Sound Tigers’ 73 points. They’re tied for fourth in the Atlantic Division, though Bridgeport has two games in hand. The top four teams make the playoffs.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is in first place, eight points ahead of Bridgeport. Providence beat Lehigh Valley on Sunday to break a tie for second; the Bruins are four points ahead of the Sound Tigers, and the Phantoms are two points up.

After winning 15 out of 16, the Sound Tigers are 2-3-1-0 in the past six. They lost 4-3 in overtime at Rochester on Saturday after they won by the same score in overtime Thursday at Toronto to open the road trip.